Packaging Structure and Method

ABSTRACT

A method of making a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate and forming a conductive layer on the substrate. The conductive layer includes a first metal. A semiconductor die is provided. A bump is formed on the semiconductor die. The bump includes a second metal. The semiconductor die is positioned proximate to the substrate to contact the bump to the conductive layer and form a bonding interface. The bump and the conductive layer are metallurgically reacted at a melting point of the first metal to dissolve a portion of the second metal from an end of the bump. The bonding interface is heated to the melting point of the first metal for a time sufficient to melt a portion of the first metal from the conductive layer. A width of the conductive layer is no greater than a width of the bump.

CLAIM TO DOMESTIC PRIORITY

The present application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/472,083, filed May 26, 2009, and claims priority to the foregoing parent application pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §120.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to flip chip packaging and, more particularly, to providing a Au/Sn alloy interconnection between a chip and a substrate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional methods for interconnecting a flip chip to a substrate include an Anisotropic Conductive Film (ACF) with Ni or Ni/Au coated polymer particles in which a contact type interconnection is made. Fragments of the polymer film which remain trapped at the interconnection point often lead to poor electrical contact and reduced reliability of the package. Additionally, the polymer film reduces the reliability of the bonding interface during the chip bonding process. Conventional flip chip techniques that use either ACF, Non-Conductive Adhesive (NCA) or Non Conductive Polymer (NCP) also suffer from problems in curing the adhesive on adjacent bonding sites on a substrate during the chip bonding process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

What is needed is a flip chip structure and method that provides for metallurgical interconnection between the flip chip and the substrate and that further provides for improved bonding between the chip and the substrate. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the present invention is a method of making a semiconductor device comprising the steps of providing a substrate, and forming a conductive layer on the substrate. The conductive layer includes a first metal. A semiconductor die is provided. A bump is formed on the semiconductor die. The bump includes gold. The semiconductor die is positioned proximate to the substrate to contact the bump to the conductive layer and form a bonding interface. The bonding interface is heated to a melting point of the first metal for a time sufficient to melt a portion of the first metal from the conductive layer. The bump and the conductive layer are metallurgically reacted at the melting point of the first metal to dissolve a portion of the gold from an end of the bump. A bonding phase is formed at the bonding interface by mixing a dissolved portion of the gold from the end of the bump with a molten portion of the first metal.

In another embodiment, the present invention is a method of making a semiconductor device comprising the steps of providing a substrate, and forming a conductive layer on the substrate. The conductive layer includes a first metal. A semiconductor die is provided. A bump is formed on the semiconductor die. The bump includes a second metal. The semiconductor die is positioned proximate to the substrate to contact the bump to the conductive layer and form a bonding interface. The bump and the conductive layer are metallurgically reacted at a melting point of the first metal to dissolve a portion of the second metal from an end of the bump. A bonding phase is formed at the bonding interface by mixing a dissolved portion of the second metal from the end of the bump with a molten portion of the first metal.

In another embodiment, the present invention is method of making a semiconductor device comprising the steps of providing a substrate, and forming a conductive layer on the substrate. The conductive layer includes a first metal. A semiconductor die is provided. A bump is formed on the semiconductor die. The bump includes a second metal. The semiconductor die is positioned proximate to the substrate to contact the bump to the conductive layer and form a bonding interface. The bump and the conductive layer are metallurgically reacted at a melting point of the first metal to dissolve a portion of the second metal from an end of the bump.

In another embodiment, the present invention is a semiconductor device comprising a substrate and a conductive layer formed on the substrate. The conductive layer includes a first metal. A bump is connected to the conductive layer by a bonding phase disposed between the bump and the conductive layer. The bump includes a second metal. The bonding phase is characterized as an alloy of the first metal and the second metal. The alloy is formed by metallurgically reacting the bump and the conductive layer at a melting point of the first metal to dissolve a portion of the second metal from an end of the bump. A semiconductor die is coupled to an end of the bump opposite the bonding phase.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrammatic sketches in a sectional view showing an illustrative embodiment of stages according to the invention for making a packaging structure according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention follows. Using the disclosure herein, substantially conventional apparatus can be modified for use in the process of the invention.

In one general aspect the invention features a method for providing metallurgic connection between a flip chip and a substrate, by providing a chip having a set of bumps formed on a bump side thereof, providing a substrate having a set of interconnect points on a metallization thereon, providing a measured quantity of a polymer adhesive in a middle region of the chip on the bump side, aligning the chip with the substrate so that the set of bumps aligns with the set of interconnect points, pressing the chip and the substrate toward one another so that a portion of the polymer adhesive contacts the substrate and the bumps contact the interconnect points, and heating the bumps to a temperature sufficiently high to form a metallurgical connection between the bumps and the interconnect points.

In some embodiments the bumps are stud bumps, and are formed of gold; and the interconnect points include spots of tin, preferably pure tin, on the metallization. In other embodiments the bumps are formed of a metal such as, for example, copper plated with Au or with Ni/Au or electroless Ni/Au; and the interconnect points also may include such materials. In embodiments in which the stud bumps are made of Au and the interconnect points are spots of Sn, the heating step raises the temperature of the bumps sufficiently to create an alloy between the Au and the Sn in a bonding phase at the interface; in preferred embodiments the bonding phase comprises a 80:20 Au:Sn alloy. For such an alloy the bumps may be sufficiently heated by heating the die to a temperature greater than about 200° C., preferably about 232° C.

In some embodiments the method further includes underfilling with a polymer.

In another general aspect the invention features a chip package structure made according to the method.

In another general aspect the invention features a chip package structure including a chip having a bumps formed thereon and a substrate having interconnect points on a metallization thereon, the bumps forming contacts with the interconnect points, in which an alloy is formed at an interface between the material of each bump and the material of the interconnect in contact with the bump.

In some embodiments a cured adhesive polymer is situated in a middle region between the bump surface of the chip and the surface of the substrate.

In some embodiments the bump material is gold or is a metal such as copper plated with gold or with Ni/Au or with electroless Ni/Au; and the interconnect points also include such materials. In some embodiments the alloy at the interface is an alloy of Au and Sn, and preferably the alloy is a 20:80 Sn:Au alloy.

With reference to the Figs., there are shown in FIG. 1A a chip and a substrate in alignment prior to forming the interconnect according to the invention, and in FIG. 1B a completed interconnect. The flip chip configuration, shown generally at 10, includes a plurality of bumps, e.g. 14, formed on the chip 12, the bumps preferably being gold (Au) stud bumps. The corresponding interconnection points, on a standard substrate 16 metallization are provided with a plurality of preferably pure tin (Sn) spots 18. A central area 20 of the chip on a bump side 22 further includes a spot of adhesive 24 small enough that it does not spread to the gold studs and the interconnection area during a subsequent bonding process. As the chip is connected to the substrate in the flip chip format, the adhesive holds the chip to the substrate and the ends of the stud bumps 14 react with the pure tin spots 18 on the substrate to make metallurgical interconnections 26.

A substrate strip populated with a row or an array of chips assembled in this manner can be molded using simple tooling, readily adapted from conventional equipment. The molding preferably provides die underfilling and molding compound along the perimeters of the die simultaneously. Solder balls can then be attached and the completed chips can be singularized by, for example, sawing the substrate.

The flip chip is aligned with the substrate in such a manner that the gold stud bumps on the chip align with the tin spots on the substrate. After alignment and contact between the Sn spots and the Au stud bumps, the die is heated to a temperature and for a time sufficient to give a metallurgical reaction at the interface between the bumps and the spots, preferably in excess of about 200° C. For an Au—Sn junction, a suitable temperature is about 232° C., and a suitable time is 1-2 seconds. At this temperature, the Sn spots melt and the temperature at the bonding interface increases significantly, thereby dissolving some Au from both a metallization layer on the substrate and the stud bumps to create a bonding phase at the interface between the Sn spots and the Au stud bumps. Preferably a 80%:20% Au:Sn alloy composition is formed at the interface. Such an alloy provides both reliable electrical contact and advantageous mechanical properties.

As the Sn/Au interconnection is made the adhesive spot cures to hold the die in space. A subsequent underfilling process of the structure is thereby facilitated as the center region of the chip is already filled with the adhesive polymer. Overmolding fills the remaining space under the die and the space between the chips, resulting in a robust structure.

An alternative embodiment provides for direct contact between the gold stud bumps and a standard metallization on the substrate. A metallization bondable to withstand the stresses of subsequent processing is thereby formed as there is no interposing polymer at the bonding interface during the chip bonding process.

To achieve wafer scale packaging, a wafer having stud bumps thereon is placed face up on a heating stage. Substrate pieces, inspected and singulated, with appropriate amounts of adhesive are then picked, aligned, placed and bonded to wafer sites applying conventional process conditions of temperature and pressure. Ultrasonic scrubbing may be employed to clean the substrate site before thermal compression bonding. The disclosed process provides for little waste of substrate material as only particular rejected sites will be discarded, rather than the entire substrate strip. Additionally, it is not necessary to bond to the rejected dies on the wafer. After fully populating the wafer, the wafer is molded for underfilling and interchip space filling. Dicing the wafer then follows the molding and solder ball mounting steps to singulate the dies.

In alternative embodiments the stud bumps include Cu plated with Ni and Au, plated Au or electroless Ni/Au, and these materials may be also provided on the bonding sites of the substrate. With the advances in Cu terminal metallurgy, the bonding sites may be finished with Ni and heavy soft Au, thereby providing for interconnections between the wafer and substrate I/Os either by thermal compression bonding utilizing Au or by fusion at low temperatures utilizing Sn like metals to form suitable bonding phases. Once metallurgical contacts are formed, the structure is underfilled and transfer molded simultaneously.

Other embodiments are within the following claims. 

1. A method of making a semiconductor device, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a conductive layer on the substrate, the conductive layer including a first metal; providing a semiconductor die; forming a bump on the semiconductor die, the bump including gold; positioning the semiconductor die proximate to the substrate to contact the bump to the conductive layer and form a bonding interface; heating the bonding interface to a melting point of the first metal for a time sufficient to melt a portion of the first metal from the conductive layer; metallurgically reacting the bump and the conductive layer at the melting point of the first metal to dissolve a portion of the gold from an end of the bump; and forming a bonding phase at the bonding interface by mixing a dissolved portion of the gold from the end of the bump with a molten portion of the first metal.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first metal includes tin.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein forming the bonding phase further includes mixing the dissolved portion of the gold with the molten portion of the tin to create a Au/Sn alloy composition of about 4:1.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein metallurgically reacting the bump and the conductive layer includes increasing a temperature at the bonding interface above the melting point of the first metal.
 5. The method of claim 1, further including forming the bump such that a width of the bump is greater than a width of the conductive layer.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein metallurgically reacting the bump and the conductive layer includes increasing the temperature at the bonding phase.
 7. A method of making a semiconductor device, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a conductive layer on the substrate, the conductive layer including a first metal; providing a semiconductor die; forming a bump on the semiconductor die, the bump including a second metal; positioning the semiconductor die proximate to the substrate to contact the bump to the conductive layer and form a bonding interface; metallurgically reacting the bump and the conductive layer at a melting point of the first metal to dissolve a portion of the second metal from an end of the bump; and forming a bonding phase at the bonding interface by mixing a dissolved portion of the second metal from the end of the bump with a molten portion of the first metal.
 8. The method of claim 7, further including heating the bonding interface to the melting point of the first metal for a time sufficient to melt a portion of the first metal from the conductive layer.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second metal is gold.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first metal is tin.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein heating the bonding interface includes heating to a temperature of about 232 degrees C. for a duration of 1 to 2 seconds.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein metallurgically reacting the first and second metals includes mixing the first metal with the second metal in the bonding interface to create a 4:1 alloy composition.
 13. A method of making a semiconductor device, comprising: providing a substrate; forming a conductive layer on the substrate, the conductive layer including a first metal; providing a semiconductor die; forming a bump on the semiconductor die, the bump including a second metal; positioning the semiconductor die proximate to the substrate to contact the bump to the conductive layer and form a bonding interface; and metallurgically reacting the bump and the conductive layer at a melting point of the first metal to dissolve a portion of the second metal from an end of the bump.
 14. The method of claim 13, further including heating the bonding interface to the melting point of the first metal for a time sufficient to melt a portion of the first metal from the conductive layer.
 15. The method of claim 14, further including forming a bonding phase at the bonding interface by mixing a dissolved portion of the second metal from the end of the bump with a molten portion of the first metal.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein forming the bonding phase further includes mixing a dissolved portion of the second metal with a molten portion of the first metal.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein mixing the dissolved portion of the second metal with the molten portion of the first metal includes forming an alloy of the first and second metals at the bonding interface.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein heating the bonding interface to the melting point of the first metal includes heating to a temperature of about 232 degrees C. for a duration of 1 to 2 seconds.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the alloy comprises gold and tin.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein a width of the conductive layer is no greater than a width of the bump.
 21. A semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate; a conductive layer formed on the substrate, the conductive layer including a first metal; a bump connected to the conductive layer by a bonding phase disposed between the bump and the conductive layer, the bump including a second metal, the bonding phase characterized as an alloy of the first metal and the second metal, wherein the alloy is formed by metallurgically reacting the bump and the conductive layer at a melting point of the first metal to dissolve a portion of the second metal from an end of the bump; and a semiconductor die that is coupled to an end of the bump opposite the bonding phase.
 22. The semiconductor device of claim 21, wherein one of the first and second metals is gold (Au).
 23. The semiconductor device of claim 22, wherein another one of the first and second metals is tin (Sn).
 24. The semiconductor device of claim 23, wherein a composition of the alloy is about 4:1 Au/Sn.
 25. The semiconductor device of claim 21, wherein the bonding phase abuts the bump and the conductive layer. 